Human Remains Believed to be Those of a Seattle Hiker Who Went Missing in 2022

The human remains found by a search-and-rescue team in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington, are believed to be those of 69-year-old John Hopkins, a hiker from Seattle who went missing In November 2022.

Three Lots of Human Remains Found in Washington Forest Since August

A search-and-rescue team from the Skamania County Sherrif’s Office recovered the remains on Saturday. These were the third human remains found in the forest since August 10, when a skull was discovered by a hiker in the Big Lava Bed, and on September 4, when a hunter found a skull in Sawtooth Berry Fields.

The latest discovery ‘will likely bring closure to the Hopkins family,’ the Skamania County Sherrif’s Office said in a statement, although a DNA analysis to identify the remains is still to take place.

After Hopkins went missing, his rental car was found in the parking lot of the McClellan Meadows Sno-Park, and in 2023 his belongings were found by hunters less than two miles from where his rental car was parked, says the statement.

The search-and-rescue team consists mainly of volunteers. Their work has been praised by the Skamania County Sherrif’s Office as ‘an incredible resource’ for which they are grateful.